Somali Actor Nearly Went Broke After Oscar Nominated Role

The time after Barkhad Abdi filmed his role in the Oscar nominated film “Captain Phillips” was an arduous one. The Oscar nominee was struggling to pay bills after he filmed the movie that he almost went broke and had to take a job working in his brother’s cell phone shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

According to reports, Abdi was only paid $65,000 for his role as a Somali pirate who takes Tom Hanks’boat hostage. The film was quietly shot two years ago and he didn’t get any more film offers immediately following wrapping “Captain Phillips.” Barkhad Abdi talked to The New Yorker, ““When the movie came-out, reviews either gonna be good or bad — either way, I cannot be working here.”

Things began looking up once the film was released and received glowing reviews. Although he lost the Oscar to Jared Leto, Abdi won the BAFTA, the British version of the Oscars, for Best Supporting Actor. Since that win, scripts have been pouring in. Hopefully, Barkhad Abdi can capitalize on his sudden success.